Customer Reviews

Kensington 72116 PocketMouse Pro USB Mouse (PC/Mac)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this mouse about a year ago and LOVE it. The idea of the retractable cord is genius. I can slip this mouse into my laptop case very easily and just use it on the go. I can even slip it in my pocket with no worries that it might break. The scroll wheel in between the buttons also functions great. Scrolling up and down is really easy with this and it's not too sensitive to make it annoying.

There is a button on the left side of the mouse to open the door where you retract the cord into. You then pull the cord out one click and it slides in most easily. The last thing I like about this mouse is how well the optical sensor is to everything. You can even use this mouse on flawless white paper and you get perfect traction. This is a good investment and will last you a long time. Even when the Synopsis Touchpad on my laptop was down, just plug it in and it works great.

NOTE: I recommend this to anyone, but mostly to laptop owners. The reason being is that the cord is only approx. 3' in length, so it might be hard to reach the back of the desktop, but you can always plug it into "plug and play" or buy an extension.

One drawback, if you pull on the cord of this mouse, the computer (or maybe it's just mine!) thinks you unplugged it and plugged it back in, so it takes a few seconds to initialize again. All in all, great, and for sure recommended!

UPDATE: It's now 12/30/2004, and the mouse is doing great! No problems whatsoever. This is one of the most durable computer mice I've ever had, highly recommended, even a year after this review was written.

Despite what the other guys said, it is a good mouse. The only problem I have with it is that the scroller tends to scroll a little more then you would like and not in a smooth manner. It is quite frustrating. However, don't let me discourage you from purchasing it, I think the retractable cord and all that is excellent for travel and the like. So buy it if you travel, not if you work on a desktop.

I've used one of these little mice for over two years with no problems. My experience with cordless mice is the batteries go out just when you need them most, so corded is the way to go. Just recently, the latch that holds the retractable cord's door closed broke, so I just bought another Pocket Mouse Pro.

The only thing I don't like about this mouse is the cord tends to have a coiled memory, that is, once it's unrolled, it tends to stay curly. This means that it often comes out of the mouse semi-coiled, and then easily gets tangled up with the mouse or curls under the mouse when you are using it.

Mouse is OK but retractable mechanism broke after 6 months.

Kensington has a winner with this little mouse. In terms of ruggedness and ease of use, it easily measures up to the bigger name brands. The retractable cord is the perfect solution for those of us that carry around knotted mice with our notebooks. The Kensington cord is much thinner than typical USB cable, so it easily bends and does not seem to add any drag when moving the mouse. It light weight and has survived plenty of abuse from my two cats - the red diodes seem to particularly fascinate them.

The only caveat to my recommendation is that the 3-foot cord isn't quite long enough to use on anything but a notebook.

My wife and I both use these with our laptops and love them. It works with any computer that has USB, and has no batteries to run down, so it's always ready. I've had mine for 2 years, and am about to replace it because I have literally run the feet off of it--the little nylon pads on the bottom have worn down to the point that it sort of scrapes when it moves. I am surprised to see the negative reviews about the cord, because I have had no problems at all. You need to be reasonably careful when retracting the cord so that it doesn't bunch up, but it seems very sturdy. I carry mine in a backpack where it gets jostled around with a bunch of other gizmos, and it continues to work perfectly. I used to think a wireless mouse was the ultimate for mobility, but those have 2 problems: 1) batteries; 2) most of them come in 2 parts, so if you lose one, the whole thing stops working. This mouse has neither of those issues.

I travel a lot and I like the retractable cord.
The retractable cord broke about a month after I bought it. A little plastic piece on the winding mechanism inside the mouse broke. This was easily fixable with a piece of a toothpick and super glue. I've been using it for over a year since then and haven't had any problems

I was originally planning to purchase a wireless mouse for my laptop but stumbled across the Kensington PocketMouse Pro. This mouse has worked flawlessly for me. With this product, I don't think I would purchase the wireless version - I want the mouse to be always available, always working. I don't want to have to worry about battery management. The retractable cord is very slick. It retracts nicely into a compartment in the mouse. My only comment is that the mouse is small so don't expect this to be ergonomically perfect. That said, it is an order of magnitude better than the built-in pointer mechansim on my laptop. Overall - this product is excellent. I am an XP Pro user.

The key to get it to work in Windows XP is to plug it in. Do not download drivers. XP will recognize the Kensington mouse properly and it will simply work. I have used it exclusively with my laptop that runs Windows XP Home Edition without trouble.

The one downside is that it doesn't work very well on my fake wood laminate desk. The semi-shiny surface confuses this mouse. I either put a peice of paper under it. More often, though, I am using it with my laptop and mouse on my pants leg. It's funny how accurate a mouse can be on denim.

This mouse is great for me since I have to pack up my laptop every day at the end of work. Wrapping up the cord is very easy. I chose it instead of a wireless USB mouse since batteries could run out of juice and they make the mouse heavier. The build quality is good and the buttons and wheel are accurate.

I purchased two of these when they first came out. The retractable cord was great, but I have found two problems with these mice. On one of the mice the retractor mechanism broke. Now, my other one is fine, and I will probably chalk it up to my fater being a bit too rough on it. The other problem is much more annoying, and is present on BOTH of my mice. The problem is with the scroll wheel. The wheel has a tendency to "stick" between knotches causing the screen to jump up and down erratically. It is very difficult to use the wheel without this problem popping up. I have never had this problem with "quality" scroll mice, only cheap ones. I think Kensington cut corners on it's design. On the other hand, their WIRELESS Pocketmouse resolved both of my issues and is a FANTASTIC mouse.